Saturday, October 16, 2021

Sunday School Lesson for October 17, 2021 - Praise for God for Past Deliverance: Printed Text: Psalm 107:1-9,39-43 NKJV; Background Scripture: Psalm 107 NKJV; Devotional Reading: Psalm 107:33-43 NKJV

 


Key Verse:



 Psalm 107:6 NKJV


Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,

And He delivered them out of their distresses.


Every time. Every time you cry out, He will answer. Every time. 

Where to begin?


It is believed that Psalm 107 was written after the Babylonian exile. The author is unknown, but the theme is not. God will deliver His people out of all their troubles.

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The Lesson


Psalm 107:1 NKJV


1

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!

For His [a]mercy endures forever.


Give Thanks! Show Gratitude! Praise God! Before you do anything else, praise the Lord! The opening verse of the psalm suggests a continuum. The author implores his audience to give thanks to God for His constant goodness and His continuing mercy. In essence, be thankful for who God is right now. The tense is present and perfect, suggesting that God’s enduring state is one of constant goodness and mercy. So then should our praise be; constant and enduring. Life here on earth is just the rehearsal before eternity. 


Psalm 107:2 NKJV


Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,

Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,


After all, are not we, His people set apart for His good pleasure? Is there not good reason for celebration? Each of us has a story to tell. Like the cherubim who surround the Lord’s throne declaring God’s Holiness, we: the redeemed have the privilege of declaring His Holiness to all who will hear. If ever God has done anything for you, you have a story to tell. Every test He has rescued you through results in a testimony that builds faith in the hearts of those who will hear.


Psalm 107:3 NKJV


And gathered out of the lands,

From the east and from the west,

From the north and from the south.


The beauty of this day is that God has extended His mercy, His loving kindness to all. From every corner of the globe, He has redeemed. From every ethnos, tribe, or nation, He has called His people.


Psalm 107:4-5 NKJV


They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way;

They found no city to dwell in.

Hungry and thirsty,

Their soul fainted in them.


Many thought their situation was hopeless. Impossible. In a dog-eat-dog world, many are there who feel lost, forlorn, and abandoned. Every one of us who know Christ, know Him in the fellowship of His suffering and in the power of His resurrection. We who were redeemed remember. We remember the pain we endured before Christ.


Psalm 107:6a NKJV


Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,...


We, the redeemed remember. We remember when we hit rock bottom. We remember the taste of blood and asphalt as we were being dragged by life’s circumstances. Sometimes the circumstances were of our own making, sometimes it was just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Whatever the case, most every saint remembers where they were when they realized they needed help. More help than they deserved. They, we, I needed Divine intervention. I cried out to God. He heard me.


Psalm 107:6b-7 NKJV


6b 

...And He delivered them out of their distresses.

And He led them forth by the right way,

That they might go to a city for a dwelling place.


And immediately, He brought me out. Out of my troubles; they were many. Into the darkness that engulfed me, He shone His great mercy. In my case, He opened my ears and spoke to my heart. I have never, since then, heard anything so wonderful. It was His voice that called me out of darkness and set me on the path for glory. I was ready for the Rapture that very moment. That God has delayed His coming is what compels me to keep telling the story. Follow me as I follow … Him!


Psalm 107:8-9 NKJV


Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,

And for His wonderful works to the children of men!

For He satisfies the longing soul,

And fills the hungry soul with goodness.


Yes, we have something to be thankful for. God is good! He’s good all the time! He was good, He is good, and He will always be… good! Everything we know about Him is good. For those of us who have tasted of His goodness, it is an elixir of life that has no comparison. Wonderful, sweet, invigorating, filling, all of that! Indescribable is the goodness that emanates from His being. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. They will be filled. Won’t He do it?!


Psalm 107:39-40 NKJV


39 

When they are diminished and brought low

Through oppression, affliction, and sorrow,

40 

He pours contempt on princes,

And causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way;


Know this Beloved. God is so good, He will not endure injustice forever. Where His people are persecuted, He will deliver them from their distress. Not only will He deliver us from captivity, but He will also eventually dismantle the systems and governments that perpetuate injustice. He will cause those princes of injustice, those captains of despair to wander aimlessly in eternal darkness. 


Psalm 107: 41-42 NKJV


41 

Yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction,

And makes their families like a flock.

42 

The righteous see it and rejoice,

And all iniquity stops its mouth.


There will come a day when God will remove the humble far from affliction. To be sure, such a day will come. The Day of the Lord! On that day, the Lord will open the door to His strong tower, so that the righteous may run into it and be saved. On that day, all iniquity, the very intent toward evil, will stop. Imagine for a moment: the blinders that are our sinful nature being removed so that we may see clearly, the wonder of the majesty of God. That that we cannot now fully comprehend will be comprehended. We will see God so clearly, for we will be like Him.


Psalm 107: 43 NKJV


43 

Whoever is wise will observe these things,

And they will understand the lovingkindness of the Lord.


And on that day, that great and glorious Day of the Lord, the redeemed of the Lord will say so. Those of you who know of what I speak, get the Word out. When I was small, my grandmother used to tell me all the time, “Look up child, your redemption is drawing near. Jesus is soon to come back.” I can hear her voice as clearly as if she had just spoken to me yesterday. I will remind you, as she reminded me: Look up, your redemption is drawing near. He has come, in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, with healing in His wings. He abides with us by His Holy Spirit, compelling people everywhere to come to Him and be made whole. Truly, the harvest is ripe. Get out into the fields and bring it in. Those of you who are redeemed, who know of the goodness and loving-kindness of the Lord, tell the story.



Selah,


wb

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